My kitty is not hungry or thirsty, yet continues to meow and act strange. HELP!?

Question

First of all, just wanted to say thank you to all the people who have helped me thus far with my new kitty (and 0 experience on having one) and this has been my best resource for finding the answers I need about my cat. So thanks a ton.

As for my question this time. Basically the last 2 days or so, my kitty will not go near his food dish quite as often (loss of apparetite it seems) and he will not drink water (even tried milk and he turned that down as well) He will drink and eat on occasion, but only for short periods of time, then he walks away and wanders through the house aimlessly into random spots trying to get in closed doors and whatnot. I followed him around to see what he wanted, but he just walks in once I open the door then walks out. He will not stop meowing either, no matter what I do. I play with him, he gets annoyed and runs from me, i give him food and drink and he doesnt want it. He just wanders around meowing. What heck gives? Any help appreciated...

Guys I hate to be rude but enough about the "goto the vet" answers. I do not consider than an answer to my question at all. If you reply with simply saying goto the vet, I ignore your answer and move on to the next. Gotta cut that out. Thanks to those who actually gave me information on what he might be doing "ie: in heat or being curious and finding new things" But as usual I'm getting a million different answers. Is anyone 100% about their answer?

Answer 1

Get the kitty to the vet ASAP...it may have a bowel blockage. If so, he will not want food or water as it would just be thrown up.

Answer 2

If your kitty is a kitten, then it sounds like there might be something wrong. Kittens adjust to changes fairly easily (they're not yet "set in their ways"), whereas adult cats can be very finicky, stubborn little beasties.

If your kitty is an adult (a year or older), it sounds like he might be upset about something. You mentioned he was new; older cats who are moved to new locations will spend the first few days (2-10 days, generally) walking around, sniffing, inspecting, and otherwise getting used to their new surroundings. This is normal. The older the cat, the longer this process seems to take.

Some cats =will= go on hunger strikes until they get used to their new surroundings. It's frustrating, scary, and generally nerve-wracking. The best thing to do is just leave their food and water out for them. Check to see if they're eating it. If they're not, see if you can find out what brand/flavour they were eating before you got them. If you can, switch to that brand. The familiarity of the food may help the process along.

Check kitty's litterbox: do you see any bloody stools or urine? (There's a special litter you can get that will change to a bright blue if it comes into contact with blood - it's not cheap, but worth every penny.) Or is there a distinct lack of stools/urine? Is kitty throwing up? If you gently squeeze (very gently) kitty's tummy, does he cry out? If he's exhibiting =any= signs of being in pain, take the wee beasty to a vet, pronto.

And contrary to what some people have said: male cats do not go into heat. That is not the answer.

Best of luck, and hope things get straightened out soon!

Answer 3

awwww... your kitty is just in the "lets investigate the new den" phase. He's meowing to see if another cat or animal will answer him. Allow him to wander around the house - he'll check every rom, every cupboard, will want to see what is behind every closed door... that's their way of getting acquainted with their new home. Naturally, the need to chack and see if everything is OK in the new den overrides the need to eat and drink - for now. Once the cat is absolutely certain that there are no monsters inside the cupcoards or behind mysterious doors and that his new home is very safe, and he begins to feel hunger pangs, he'll eat and drink and sleep and want YOU 9his staff) to play and fetch for him. Don't worry. Best thing you can do now is just make sure that there is nothing dangerous that the kitty can get into. ALL medications safely locked in medicine cabinet; ALL houshold cleaners locked in a cupboard or box that the cat can't get into. No holes where the kitty can get in and disappear to; no toxic substances lying around; no strings, rubber bands, tiny objects that the kitty could ingest; ALL windows closed; etc.

The, IGNORE the kitty as he goes around the new place. Assume an attitude of matter-of-fact calm. Just keep an eye on him and take note of where he goes.

Enjoy.

Answer 4

I know you don't like this answer but you do nee to take him to the vet. We are going thrgouh a similar thing with our 4 1/2 month old kitten. She was off her food and water and vomiting. She had a blockage in her bowel and had an emergency operation. She did not eat anything she shouldn't have it just happened. She would go and sit in strange places or walk around and just stop mid walk. Also if he does not do any poo then is is worse. We are now 5 days after the operation and we still don't know for sure is she will be ok, we have to take everyday as it comes.

Answer 5

I have had to same experience myself with my kitten. Although I agree with the majority of people that are saying to 'take your cat to the vets' - It happened to my kitten about a month ago, but in a couple of days he was back to his normal active self (he was just feeling a bit under the weather).

Try feeding him some different food also, or a tin of tuna.

But for your own peace of mind I would take him to your vet to get him checked over.

Answer 6

you may want to take him to the vet if he continues to aviod the water. you could try a product called feliway found at petsmart. it is a hormone spray or plug in. it is the same hormone produced by nursing mother cats. it will calm anxious animals. he may be bored and lonely and this could make it feel more like "home". the product also keeps cat from peeing and marking in areas where it is sprayed. some people also use it on there vets so that the cat is more at ease in the vets office.

Answer 7

Sounds like your cat is trying to tell you something, like take me to the vet I'm not feeling well.
It could be anything, but if he if exhibiting strange behavior & not drinking or eating normally something is wrong & you need to see the vet to find out what.
You don't want to go too long with you cat not eating/drinking, they will get very sick from not doing so.
I hope you get him some help soon & he feels better!

Answer 8

Welcome to the wonderful world of cat ownership. He's fine, he's just getting you going. Cats know your weak spots and love nothing more than exploiting them. As long as he doesn't show any other signs of illness ie weight loss or dehydration (this you can check for by gently pinching the bit of skin on the back of his neck, when you let go it should go straight back to it's normal position, if it stays pinched he's dehydrated) I don't think you need to worry too much. It sounds like he might just be a bit bored and be looking for something new to play with.

Answer 9

If he seems to be in any pain, call the vet. Otherwise, he's probably just going through a stage. If he's not growing much this week, he may not be as hungry as he might otherwise.

If it continues for more than a couple more days, I would get him to the vet. Don't want him to dehydrate!

Answer 10

The "get to the vet now" asnswers you've gotten are ALL correct. This is the best thing you can do for your kitten at this point. This behavior is off and is an idication of a greater problem. I hope all turns out well. Andy

Answer 11

Your cat is probably in heat. Aka, she is probably looking for a mate. Even if he is still kind of a kitten. My cat was still practically a kitten when it first went into heat.

If its a male cat, maybe he's looking for a mate as well.

It makes them act nutty. They walk around meowing like crazy and rolling on the ground sometimes, and they lose their appetite, and desire to play.

Take him or her to the vet either way. And if it is that-----get her spayed or him neutered. And do this quickly, because if you wait too long he or she will become a zombie even after being fixed. Totally lethargic. It seems to take years off of their lives if they go too long without being fixed.